The Bible says “the sheep will know the Sheppard’s voice”. In the 2010 Primary Elections the sheep didn’t know the shepherd and the shepherd didn’t know the sheep!

Many candidates never wanted to get out in the field and mingle with the sheep, they didn’t want to hire the sheep and they wouldn’t go to sleep and dream about crossing the rivers that the sheep had to cross every day in America.

Voters vote for candidates that they know. They vote for candidates that share their views and their values. They vote for candidates that deliver more than symbolic gestures.

Oftentimes, it appears as though African American political candidates are the only candidates that shun their own kind when hiring high-level campaign employees and vendors. Cubans can be found in decision making positions on the campaigns of Cuban candidates. Jews hire Jews. Women hire women and so forth.

When Blacks don’t get a high percentage of Black votes, the candidates say “Black folk didn’t vote for me”. They never say the white campaign consultants and advisors I paid $10,000 a month didn’t know how to motivate and influence Black voters. The candidates never say that white campaign managers refused to hire Black campaign vendors or that they refused to consider advertising in Black media outlets.

I say, if you can’t get all white votes cast just by hiring a white political consultant, the “any Negro will do” philosophy will not result in a high turnout of Black voters.

Both white and Black voters want public servants that can perform! Voters want politicians that can address the government issues of interest to the people.

Health care is great. Education is fine but money is better! If voters had good jobs, the voter turnout would be higher. If Black entrepreneurs had more business, the voter turnout would be higher. If political advertisements were more positive than negative, the turnout would be higher. If candidates had a better understanding of political timing, the turnout would be higher!

The Black candidates that win elections usually can turnout more than just the “frequent voters”. Winning Blacks can turn out the “street vote”, the “crack vote”, the “truck vote”, the “fraternity-sorority” vote, the “church vote”, the “project vote” and all of the other voters that are registered to vote.

Yes, the political sheep can recognize the voice of the political shepherds. Our problem is many politicians are wolves in Shepherd’s clothing. The people that were paid five, ten and fifteen thousand dollars a month to generate votes wouldn’t know a sheep from a prairie dog. They wouldn’t know Lamb Chops from Little Bo Peep!

Voters are more likely to vote for candidates they know. If they don’t know the candidates, at least voters should know members of the candidates campaign team.